Microbial Biosurfactant: A New Frontier for Sustainable Agriculture and Pharmaceutical Industries

Abstract

In the current scenario of changing climatic conditions and the rising global population, there is an urgent need to explore novel, efficient, and economical natural products for the benefit of humankind. Biosurfactants are one of the latest explored microbial synthesized biomolecules that have been used in numerous fields, including agriculture, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food processing, and environment-cleaning industries, as a source of raw materials, for the lubrication, wetting, foaming, emulsions formulations, and as stabilizing dispersions. The amphiphilic nature of biosurfactants have shown to be a great advantage, distributing themselves into two immiscible surfaces by reducing the interfacial surface tension and increasing the solubility of hydrophobic compounds. Furthermore, their eco-friendly nature, low or even no toxic nature, durability at higher temperatures, and ability to withstand a wide range of pH fluctuations make microbial surfactants preferable compared to their chemical counterparts. Additionally, biosurfactants can obviate the oxidation flow by eliciting antioxidant properties, antimicrobial and anticancer activities, and drug delivery systems, further broadening their applicability in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Nowadays, biosurfactants have been broadly utilized to improve the soil quality by improving the concentration of trace elements and have either been mixed with pesticides or applied singly on the plant surfaces for plant disease management. In the present review, we summarize the latest research on microbial synthesized biosurfactant compounds, the limiting factors of biosurfactant production, their application in improving soil quality and plant disease management, and their use as antioxidant or antimicrobial compounds in the pharmaceutical industries.

Human Lactobacillus Biosurfactants as Natural Excipients for Nasal Drug Delivery of Hydrocortisone

“…Beyond being natural compounds, biosurfactants (BS) are amphiphilic molecules, thus their potential applications rely on the ability to reduce surface and interfacial tension [ 10 , 12 , 25 ]. In the present study, surface-activity of BC9-BS, CAPB and TPGS was evaluated at room temperature (25 °C) and at pH 5.5 by means of a phosphate buffer used to mimic the nasal pH, which ranges from 5.5 to 6.5 in adults and from 5.0 to 6.7 in children [ 26 ].…”

“…Indeed, BS are biodegradable molecules with a good safety profile and great surface, interfacial and emulsifying activity. BS also show an excellent tolerance towards temperature, pH and ionic strength; furthermore, they exert a broad spectrum of biological activities useful for biomedical and pharmaceutical applications [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ].…”

Functional and Structural Characterization of Pediococcus pentosaceus-Derived Biosurfactant and Its Biomedical Potential against Bacterial Adhesion, Quorum Sensing, and Biofilm Formation

“…Biosurfactants have recently received the considerable attention of researchers mainly due to their high selectivity, eco-friendly nature, and specific mechanism of action under harsh conditions such as pH, salinity, and temperature [ 35 ]. Biosurfactants have an extensive application in the food, oil, biodegradation, cosmetic, agriculture, pesticide, and medicine/pharmaceutical industries [ 36 , 37 ]. Biosurfactants have also proven their effectiveness in fighting against pathogenic bacteria and their biofilms [ 12 ].…”

Trichoderma citrinoviride: Anti-Fungal Biosurfactants Production Characteristics

“…However, typical surfactants of chemical origin contradict the concept of ecological neutrality. Hence, the application of microbiological surfactants could have a positive impact on halting soil degradation with simultaneous support of plant development and maintenance of natural microbial balance ( Kumar et al, 2021 ).…”